Glen Ridge may start charging for jitney to train station

It doesn't cost a dime for Glen Ridge commuters to ride a jitney to the Ridgewood Avenue train station, but that could change in the coming years.

Borough officials are thinking about instituting a fare now that the grant money used to operate the shuttle bus is disappearing, said borough administrator Michael Rohal.

The jitney program began in 2002, when NJ Transit leased the borough two shuttles for free and began granting $120,000 in federal funds annually to cover the drivers' salaries, gas and maintenance costs.

But in 2007, the borough got only half that amount, Rohal said. Since then, the grants have decreased by $20,000 each year.

"Funding has been phased out for five years," councilwoman Elizabeth Baker said. "Next year, it's cold turkey. We have to do the whole thing."

The borough is subsidizing the jitney service now. But this fall, the municipal government's officials are thinking of holding a public forum to determine whether to charge a fare and, if so, what would be an appropriate amount, Rohal said.

Each day, about 400 people ride the jitney, which loops around the 1.4-square-mile borough, making at least 10 stops, he said. The latest figures from NJ Transit, which are from 2007, indicate almost 1,000 people enter and leave the Ridgewood Avenue station daily.

This leads Rohal to conclude that "a significant portion of the commuters use the jitney," he said.

Rohal said starting the shuttle program was a way for the borough to avoid the "significant expenditure" of building a parking structure after the train station at Bensen Street was closed.

The shuttle service also relieves some congestion in the center of the borough during rush hour and allows residents to save money on parking, which can cost between $300 and $500 a year, he said. It also has an environmental benefit, reducing emissions from cars on the road.

Danny Velotti, 23, who works in Glen Ridge by the train station, said he sees many school-age children using the shuttle after 4 p.m. as a ride home, which makes using the service less appealing for adults.

"That's another problem with the jitney," said Velotti, who doesn't use the bus himself. "There are a lot kids that get on."